It’s official – I know how to boat

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
On September 18, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 941, which prohibits the operation of motorized vessels in California without a valid operator card.

The program had a phased-in schedule based on age, beginning in 2018 with persons 20 years of age or younger. The age range increased each year to now, all persons regardless of age need the card in 2025.

If a sailboat has an engine, the operator needs the California Boater Card. The test I took covered the full scope of boating, but mostly focused on the type of boaters that likely led to the legislation. I already knew bow from stern but now know plenty about jet skis and how not to capsize my fishing boat.

There are several approved online courses which must be at least three hours, and they have a built-in timer to prevent jumping ahead to the tests. It wasn’t hard to pass, but I suspect my CBC will mean nothing without enforcement, and my insurance company hasn’t asked for it.

For something more relevant to sailing, Matt Hill from US Sailing provides seven “rules of the road” to know when on the water.